May 2025
By Doris Morisaki
Who knew we had a puppet supervisor for the Broadway musical “Frozen” in our Still & Moving ‘ohana? And she helped take the show to the White House!
Indeed we do: our devoted online hula student Sue Makama’e McLaughlin.
Sue served as puppet supervisor and key dresser for the first national tour of the Broadway musical “Frozen”. The reindeer, Sven, and the snowman, Olaf, were her charges, and it was her responsibility to make sure that the puppeteer and puppet were safe and well-maintained.
Whenever Sue would pop in for a Zoom hula class during their tour, our first question inevitably was: “What city are you in, Sue?” At the conclusion of the tour’s 5-year run (less 18 months for the pandemic shutdown), they had performed in 62 cities across the U.S. and Canada.
One of the highlights of the tour for Sue was the opportunity to perform for military families at the White House in December of 2023, which was hosted by Dr. Jill Biden. Sue shares what an honor it was to meet and shake the hand of the gracious First Lady, and how kind and attentive she was.
Sue would like to express in her own words how Still & Moving Center has impacted her life:
“I can say without hesitation that the Still & Moving studio has been a sanctuary for me in every sense of the word.
I am the luckiest woman I know. I honestly chose your studio because it was within walking distance of my home in Hawaii. That was back in 2017, and I wanted to learn hula. I had no idea how it would nurture my soul and connect me to Hawaiian culture. The calm, inviting atmosphere, and the remarkably welcoming staff and members were what kept me coming back.
When work took me back to the mainland in September of 2019, I was heartbroken to be leaving Kumu Mālia and my hula sisters. I was leaving a cocoon of nurturing, learning, support, and genuine aloha, not the kind stamped on a refrigerator magnet.
On the mainland I was immersed in work I loved. I was getting to know the people I was working with. My skills were valued and honored. I even connected with an old friend from college, who quickly became my boyfriend.
Then the pandemic hit in 2020. My job, like so many, evaporated overnight. I moved in with my boyfriend and his 4 housemates (all of whom were near strangers to me). I was rudderless, scared, confused like much of the world.
One day, I received an email from Still & Moving. Hula classes would be offered online through Zoom. It was as if a lifeline had been tossed to me. My hula classes became the cornerstone of my week. They helped me mark time, alleviated my sense of isolation, reconnected me to Hawaii, and became a huge part of maintaining my mental health.
I was out of work for 18 months due to the lockdown until I went back to my job with the “Frozen” production. I consider Still & Moving going online a tremendous silver lining of the pandemic. The only silver lining that outshines it is my ipo (sweetheart), Kurt, who proposed during lockdown. We just celebrated our 3-year wedding anniversary.
I am so grateful that Kumu Mālia and Still & Moving are still a part of my life. Most weeks I am in hula class, body, mind and soul.
I carry the aloha from that class throughout the week.
Mahalo Nui for putting your studio online. My gratitude is hard to fully express in words.”
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This post is also available in: 日本語 (Japanese)